On BCCI table today: fast,green tracks to tackle the rising ball

Lesson from England tour; board mulls special pitches for U-14,U-16

Learning lessons from the defeat to England over the summer,the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is considering issuing a fiat to curators to prepare green tracks for under-14 and under-16 tournaments.

At a meeting called by BCCI joint secretary Sanjay Jagdale in Indore last Saturday,curators from three zones Venkat Sundaram (North),Sudhir Naik (West) and PR Vishwanathan (South) were summoned to discuss this plan for forthcoming junior tournaments.

The BCCI henceforth wants all its junior matches to be played on grassy and bouncy tracks. The idea was proposed by Jagdale

after seeing the way we struggled in England. For now the idea is to implement it only in junior cricket, a top BCCI official said.

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Jagdale,a former first class cricketer,believes that attempting to change the style of U-19 and first class players wont be feasible immediately. He was scheduled to consult Sourav Ganguly,technical committee chief,and the matter will be put up at the working committee meeting in Kolkata tomorrow.

Several curators believe that laying pacy tracks may not be easy at venues where the soil is not right. There is also the possibility of state associations interfering,since home teams often prepare pitches based on their strength,which could be spin.

U-14 and U-16 matches mainly happen in state associations alternative grounds,where pitches tend to be either batsmen-friendly or rank turners. We discussed these issues,but it is a good development for the future of Indian cricket, said one curator who attended the meeting.

The BCCI will ensure that zone curators monitor the laying of the wicket for junior tournaments along with local curators. Problems with facing the short ball wont disappear overnight. We have to go back to the basics and if the next generation gets into the habit of playing short balls early,then some years down the line we will have fewer problems, said the board official.